Getting Ahead by Bring Your Work and Life into Balance

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Stressed womanYou may love your job or hate it, but one thing is certain.  Your job can stress you out!  Pole who are vulnerable to job stress may have particularly stressful jobs.  This is particularly true for executives who are driven by deadlines, and deal with difficult people, or for those of us who have a high internal pressure to succeed.

Here is a list of common work-related problems

  • Too little time
  • Too many responsibilities
  • Multiple interruptions
  • Excessive work loads
  • Emotional distress (anger, frustration worry or fear)
  • Conflicts with other people
  • Uncertainty (not knowing what to do)
  • Discrimination
  • Lack of appreciation

So, if your job and hectic lifestyle seems to take its toll in your physical, emotional and psychological well-being, stress relief techniques can bring your life back into balance.

Now for the myth about corporate loyalty.

In the business world, most employers say they care about their employees.  After all, people are their most important resource, so they’d better take care of them or they may lose them in the long run.  But for many companies, dollars are far more important than people.  When the chips are down, money will be conserved and people will be sacrificed.  The reason why money is more important to these companies than you are is because you can be replaced.  If you burn out, have a heart attack, or become disabled, someone else will take your place.

I don’t mean to imply that every company or all corporate leaders are insincere about their commitment to their employees well-being.  Sometimes you will find a company that is truly committed to you and your welfare.  I know because I work for one of those companies.  But the truth is finding a company like that is pretty rare these days.

The lack of loyalty itself is not the major culprit.  Rather it is our unconscious expectation that produce most of our stress and suffering.

So how do you deal with work stress?  Dealing with stress is critical and the first critical piece of business is to ignore the myth and get down to work doing the best job you possibility can.  Second, identify what areas of your work life are causing you the most stress.  Get out a pen and piece of paper or your journal if you have one (I highly recommend you do keep a journal), and answer the following questions.

  1. This is how I feel about the people I work with
  2. This is how I feel about the environment in which I work
  3. This is how I feel about the values and purpose behind my employer
  4. This is how I feel about the actual day-to-day work I do
  5. My favorite thing about work is
  6. My least favorite thing about work is
  7. I wish my job could change in these ways.

How you manage the stressors at your job depends on what those stressors are.  You can take different approaches:

  • Avoid the stressor
  • Eliminate the stressor (delegate or share a hated task)
  • Confront the stressor (talk to y0ur supervisor)
  • Manage the stressor (add something enjoyable to the task, give yourself a reward after completion)
  • Balance the stressor (put up with the stress but practice stress-relieving  techniques to balance out the effects)
  • Take short breaks. In times when you’re mentally stressed, take a break to clear your mind. Stepping away from your desk  briefly allows you to relax and recharge.
  • Create an uplifting environment. Decorate your office with photos, plants to liven up your workspace, or items that can lift your spirits.
  • Leave work at WORK. It’s important to distinguish your work life and living a life outside of work. Don’t burn yourself out by doing work after you get home at night.

Work is a big part of your life.  And as an executive you have a lot of responsibilities and a great number of people depending on you to be at your best, acting in their best interest no matter what’s going on around you.  If you can do something to avoid, eliminate, confront or balance the stress that comes from your work life, you entire life will be more balanced a less stressful.

Filed Under: Linda Hampton RN, Stress Management Tips, stress relief, Stress tips, work stress Tagged With: , ,

Explosive Danger Of Ignoring Stress

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iStock_000008468808XSmallWhen I was dealing with one of the most stressful periods of my life I never thought about stress.  In fact I didn’t even know I was even stressed.  I thought that what I was dealing with and how I was managing my life was just a part of life and I might as well get use to it.  In fact, if anyone looked at my life they would never know I was under any stress at all.  It was a well hidden secret.  So much so it was a hidden from me too.

I remember recently my son told me something I use to think myself “I work better under stress”  in reality nothing could be further from the truth.  We get things done because we have no choice but what we fail to recognize is the damage stress has on your body.  The truth is no one is completely immune to stress and does affect you in profound ways.

Do you stay busy because you hate feeling bored?  You consider yourself someone who loves life and lives it to its fullest, so you are always on the go, meeting new people doing new things.

Maybe others come to rely on you when they need help to get through a stressful situation in their life because of your positive optimistic attitude.  To the outside world all  seems well.  But if you are paying no attention to the stress in your own life  don’t be too surprised when you explode over some small thing that now seems like too much to handle.

Rather than waiting for stress to explode and totally disrupt your life and business, take time to observe the small disruptions and interruptions  that cause stress for you on a regular basis.  Dealing with problems as they come up will prevent a build-up of stress that can later cause an explosive reaction over something small.

When you hide or ignore the small stressor thinking that as long as I use affirmations and stay upbeat everything will be ok you are actually putting your head in the sand.  You may notice this happening with your life partner.  You ignore something that you find  irritating, for instance, your partner leaves their dirty clothes on the floor.  This may even go on for years.  But one day they leave a dish in the sink and POW you explode in anger but was it really the dish in the sink or the years of being irritated by the clothes left on the floor.

Dealing with stressor as they come along is far more manageable then if you wait until you are in crisis mode.  Commit to dealing with one problem a week.  In one year you would have fixed 52 problems and resolving 52 problems will change your life.

What small problem are you committed to resolving this week? Keep a list in a journal and look back at it in one years time and see how your life has change.

 

Filed Under: How Stress effects you, Linda Hampton RN, stress free living, stress management, stress relief Tagged With: , , ,

Stress Management – Eliminate Stress By Balancing Your Intake of Duties, Expectations, and Pressures

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balanceLiving in balance means choosing how you spend your time, your energy you’re your money. The most effective action you can take is to prioritize and make sure you don’t overdo in any one area or totally ignore other areas of your life.  .

Start by setting healthy limits.  For instance think about how you balance exercise food intake.  Are you allowing a day of exercise to be the excuse to overindulge in a fast food meal or a poor snack choice?  Consistently is the key.  There was a time when I wasn’t consistent with anything and wondered why the weight refused to release.  What I recently taught myself is “it’s not about how I feel.”  If I exercised when I felt like it I would never exercise.  If I made good food choices when I felt like it that wouldn’t happen either.  In order to stay balanced, I don’t over indulge in any one area. I set limits for myself so that I can stay healthy.

Just as I do with my nutrition and exercise choices I find that balancing my responsibilities is my business exercise. When I stay the course, I burn off the excess weight of busywork or distractions. My life feels more fulfilling when I replace busywork with meaningful tasks.

So how else can you  balance your life?

Remove anxiety from your diet and replace it with careful planning. Balance your duties by filling out a weekly and monthly planner.  You won’t see where your going if you don’t.  It will cause random starts and stops without the good feel of accomplishment.  If you see that you have too many tasks on one day,  stop adding responsibilities be realistic about what you can do and what is unreasonable to do.  Also be practical about what is necessary to do for your business and what you need to do today for your business.  .

Sometimes you have to say “no” to some things. Other times you simply have to say “not now.” If you tried to do it all you would burn yourself out and experience  overwhelm and stress.

You have to be reasonable about your own expectations. . If others place unreasonable expectations on you, replace them with realistic ones.   Take on reasonable challenges.  Realistic challenges are encouraging when you exceed expectations.  How many times have you heard just send out this email and you will triple your business.  When you set your expectation too high or the expectation is unrealistic this causes you to be discouraged and more stressed if things don’t work out

A moderate amount of stress is good, but when you feel like your getting buried under pressure, you know it’s time to re-evaluate your diet.  There is a difference between taking on a challenge and simply taking on too much.

Clarity Questions:

 How can I balance my schedule?

  1. What busywork can I eliminate from my life?
  2. Are my priorities reflected in the way I spend my time, energy and money?

Let me know how you balance your life and your business.  We’re in this together!

Filed Under: stress free living, stress management, stress relief Tagged With: , ,

Stress Free Living Tips

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  1. Unclutter your life
  2. Smile
  3. Be prepared for rain
  4. Tickle a baby
  5. Pet a friendly dog/cat
  6. Don’t know all the answers
  7. Look for a silver lining
  8. Say something nice to someone
  9. Teach a kid to fly a kite
  10. Walk in the rain

How Meditating Can Ease Anxiety

beautiful middle eastern teenage girl in yoga poseThe fast-paced, hectic world we live with an unhealthy amount of stress. Stress develops into, or manifests itself as, worries and fears, leading to feelings of anxiety. Have you fallen into this frustrating path?

You can ease anxiety by understanding your worries and fears.  A natural way to ease anxiety is the use of meditation.

Meditation is a basic technique that can get you in better touch with yourself. It relieves stress, relaxes your body, and calms your mind.

Starting Out With Meditation

There are different ways you can approach a meditative practice. Start by picking a time everyday when you can calmly be alone without distractions. Begin your meditation by taking deep breaths and focusing only on each breath as it goes in and out.

On a particularly stressful day, you might have more difficulty focusing on your breath. The thoughts of whatever is stressing you may keep getting in the way. When this happens, acknowledge the thought and then go back to concentrating on your breath. Eventually, you’ll feel your mind grow calm.

As you calm your mind, begin purposefully taking notice of your thoughts. All you do is notice your thoughts, and then return your attention to your breath again. If any thoughts make you uncomfortable or tense, relax your muscles and then focus on your breath again.

Try not to stress yourself out further by getting frustrated with the meditation process. As you continue to practice, it will get easier.

So what’s  your best stress free living tip?

Filed Under: stress free living, stress management, Stress Management Tips, stress relief, stress relief tips, Stress tips Tagged With: , ,

Stop Stress Beat Cancer

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It’s October which means it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 
 
Did you know that 75 – 90% of all doctors visits are for stress related illness  including Cancer!  Kinda scary isn’t it?
 
To honor breast cancer survivors and pay tribute to those that did not survive I decided to do something special.  My first, order of business is to remind you to take care of  your health.  Secondly, to let you know I understand how stressful building a business can be.  So to support you in your business building efforts I’ve lined up a few folks that I felt would give you some great resources that would help you to reduce your stress and build your business.  The more you manage your stress the more effectively you can build your business finding and working with  your ideal product and market
 
This giveaway is  filled with complimentary gifts from people like
Felicia Slattery, Ronnie Nijmeh, Maritza Parra,  Melanie Jordan  and more. You’ll find incredible  tools to help to deal with
the stress that comes with running a growing business.

So grab those gifts now at http://www.StopStressBeatCancer.com they’ll only be available until October 31st.

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Live Stress Free – 5 Simple Relaxation Tips

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Everyone goes through times throughout the day where you just wish you could relax for even a couple of minutes.

You already know that rest helps your body re-energize, but sometimes you’re so busy and involved in the present moment that you just don’t  have the time to slow down.

Well, as luck would have it there are easy ways to relax, even during your most active days, that don’t involve a great deal of time or equipment.

Here are 5 Simple Relaxation Tips:

1. When you’re in line at the market: rather than stressing out because there aren’t enough cashiers and every line has 5 people with heaping carts of groceries, use that time to relax your body by taking a few deep breaths.

  • Deep breathing helps increase the oxygen in your blood. Your blood then circulates that extra oxygen throughout your body helping your internal systems recharge.
  • Taking five slow deep breaths will do the trick. The right technique is to breathe in and breathe out deeply through your nose and out your mouth.
  • Not only will deep breathing help you relax, it’ll help to clear your mind, reduce brain fogginess, and you’ll feel a good deal more alert and prepared to take on the next project on your plate.
  • Deep breathing can be done anyplace when you’re feeling stressed or just would like to clear your mind.

2. When you’re at work: It’s frequently difficult to find time to decompress at work. You may even get in trouble if you’re caught “relaxing.” Oh the horror! However, there are a few techniques you’ll be able to do while you’re at work to help create a sense of calmness that aren’t so conspicuous to other people.

  • If your job requires you to sit at a computer all day, make it  a point you get up and move around for a couple of minutes every hour. This helps circulate the blood throughout your body. Just moving the blood flow will make you feel more alert and focused.
  • While sitting at your desk, roll your head around, from side to side and from front to back with your eyes closed. This technique helps relieve neck tension, increasing blood flow to your brain, which is a natural and easy way to relax.
  • If you’re on your feet all day, stretch out your back and sides by standing with your feet firmly on the floor, shoulder width apart, and twist your upper body, including your head, slowly from side to side. This will loosen up your back muscles and spine, releasing tension throughout your body.
  • During a break or lunch period, go for a walk. Walking is a great way to clear-cut your mind and your body will benefit from the additional exercise also.

3. When you’re hurrying through a busy day: Take just a couple of minutes to daydream and escape the busyness of reality.

  • Daydreaming permits your imagination to flow, causing instantaneous relief from the stress of the real life.
  • Remember a place or experience that makes you feel happy or calm. Imagine how it smells, how the air feels, and who’s around.
  • After five minutes of a calming daydream you’ll feel relaxed, reenergized and prepared to face the real world once again.

4. Wherever you’re at, smile: Smiling is proven to help relax and rejuvenate your body.

  • When you’re out and about, smile at others around you.
  • When you’re at work, smile at your colleagues. Not only will it help you relax, it’ll help relax them also.
  • Smile at your children when you’re toting them around to all their different activities. This will create a peaceful environment you’ll all enjoy.

5. When the going gets tough, laugh: Laughter’s proven to be an instant stress reliever. Now I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to be seen as a crackpot, so laughing aloud when you’re in line at the store or sitting at your desk may not be the best time. When you can, get someone involved in your laughter with you.

  • Tell a amusing joke or story to a co-worker (at an appropriate time, of course).
  • Play a fun game or sing a silly song with your kids as you’re driving.
  • Watch funny videos on YouTube.

Engaging in these simple, everyday relaxation techniques will help to sustain and strengthen you throughout your day. It’ll also make it easier to relax when you get home. Your friends, co-workers, and family will all appreciate the new, relaxed you!

Filed Under: stress free living, Stress Management Tips, stress relief Tagged With: , , , ,

Natural Stress Relief Remedy – Aromatherapy

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A natural stress relief remedy that most people never think about – aromatherapy.  The first part of the term aromatherapy is just a little misleading. Aroma is usually connected with the sense of smell but aromatherapy is more than that just smell. Although it is true that one method of delivering the therapeutic properties of the essential oils used in aromatherapy is through smell, they are also delivered by being massaged into the skin. Sometimes…VERY rarely….they are ingested. Ingestion of an essential oil should never be undertaken except under the direction of a trained aromatherapist.

There are over 500 different essential oils that are extracted from the leaves, stems, root or bark of various flowers, trees, plants and shrubs. Each essential oil is different and useful for fighting different diseases or different physical and emotional situations. Some essential oils, for example, promote healing by reducing swelling or fighting fungal infections. Other essential oils are used to relieve depression, anxiety or fear. Some essential oils calm while other essential oils stimulate.

The essential oil that is derived from oranges contains a very large quantity of ester which has a calming effect. An Orange blossom bouquet carried by a bride represents the peace and harmony that she will bring to her new home.

Research is being conducted but there as yet is not a definitive answer as to just how aromatherapy works or why. The sense of smell is one of the five senses that most humans are born with but it is also the one that is the most underdeveloped and underused. Researchers have concluded that certain aromas affect our brains in various ways. It is easier to see why aromatherapy that is applied by the means of massage into the skin has a direct effect on the body than why inhaling the scents has such a direct effect. But it is a fact that both methods of delivery have proven to be effective even if the reason remains elusive.

Almost all modern day medications have some basis in ancient herbal medicine. In our modern world, scientists have learned how to reproduce the properties of herbal plants that have been used successfully for thousands of years artificially. They can make synthetic copies of the elements that make herbs work. The problem with these copies is that they often cause many unpleasant or even dangerous side effects that the natural versions do not cause.

In our very modern twenty-first century world, many people are returning to the use of the herbal versions of the synthetic medicines prescribed by physicians in order to avoid the undesirable side effects. Aromatherapy is one of the ways that these herbal remedies can be used.

Filed Under: aromatherapy, stress, stress relief Tagged With: ,
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